Red Wings sign Johan Franzen to 11-year deal

AP PhotoThe Red Wings have signed forward Johan Franzen to an 11-year contract extension that averages $3.95 million a season.

DETROIT -- Players with Johan Franzen's combination of size and scoring ability are not easy to find.

The Detroit Red Wings witnessed Franzen's transformation from third-line role player to high-end power forward late last season. On Saturday, they kept him off this summer's free-agent market by signing him to an 11-year, $43.5 million contract extension.

"He's 29, he's in the prime of his career," general manager Ken Holland said. "He's 6-3, 230 pounds, he competes, he's good defensively. There's not a lot of players like him in the league."

Franzen, who will make an average $3.95 million per season, said he never desired to test the free-agent market, where he likely would have received offers of more than $5 million a season.

"Being in a good organization is more important than seeing how much you can get somewhere else," Franzen said. "Lot of good guys on this team, it's a lot of fun, we're winning a lot. Why would you want to go anywhere else?"

"That was a big part of it," Franzen said. "I started my career here, I had some good times here -- four good years -- playing with great players. I really wanted to stay."

Franzen scored 15 goals in the final 16 games of 2007-08 before adding 13 goals in 16 playoff games.

He has followed up last year's breakout season with a career-best 34 goals and 59 points.

"Good security for him, now he's got to continue to evolve his game," coach Mike Babcock said. "You're not just signing him for what he is, you're signing him for what you hope he's going to be. So that means work ethic and determination and skill development and continue to get better so he can be the player we perceive him to be."

The contract includes a no-trade clause for the first five or six seasons and a limited no-trade clause for the remainder of the pact.

It is the second-longest contract in club history, trailing only the 12-year deal Henrik Zetterberg signed in February.

Franzen's deal also is front-end loaded, like Zetterberg's contract. He will earn just $1 million per season the final two years, which brings the salary cap number down.

That means the Red Wings will have flexibility to move him later in his career, though Holland said, "I hope he's going to be here for the entire term of the deal."

Because of salary cap rules, Holland could sign Franzen or Marian Hossa, but not both, before the end of the season. He will resume talks with Hossa's agent after the playoffs.

"I wanted to get one guy signed to a contract that I felt good about, and it turned out it was Johan," Holland said. "I told Marian and his agent we'll see what the cap number is. My first priority would be to figure out a way to keep him. We'll see what the future brings."

The Red Wings have 19 players signed for 2009-10 at a cap figure of about $53.5 million. They need to sign three or four more forwards.